2 Millikin students injured in road rage shooting while leaving church event

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Decatur Police said two people were shot during a road rage incident.

At 6:57 p.m. on Sunday, Decatur Police responded to the 2000 block of N. Oakland Avenue to a report of two gunshot victims.

When officers arrived, they found 20-year-old man and 22-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims were transported to Decatur Memorial Hospital by ambulance for medical care.

Millikin University confirmed both of the victims are students.

In a statement, Millikin said, "On Sunday, Oct. 15, two students were involved in a shooting in what Decatur Police Department believe was a road rage incident. This incident occurred off-campus and at no time was this a threat to our on-campus community. The students were transported to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. We are very pleased to share that the two students were released last night from the hospital and are recovering at home with their families. Millikin’s Student Affairs and Public Safety staff immediately responded to support the students and their families and will continue to work with them to ensure they are aware of the campus and community resources available to them. The incident is an ongoing investigation with the Decatur Police Department."

Police said the two victims had just left a church function together when they were nearly involved in an accident with the suspect vehicle. According to police, the suspect vehicle then paralleled them as they traveled south on Oakland Avenue from W. McKinley Avenue.

As the vehicles entered the 2000 block of N. Oakland Avenue, the driver of the suspect vehicle showed a firearm and shot multiple times into the vehicle the victims were traveling in.

Both victims sustained non-life-threatening gunshot injuries.

Decatur City Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said on Monday she was in disbelief and stressed the suspect will be caught.

"Whoever did this will be caught and they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," she said. "We have an incredible police department and they are out there looking."

The investigation is ongoing, and the Decatur Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has video surveillance footage of the shooting is encouraged to contact the Decatur Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (217- 424-2734) or Crimestoppers (217-423-8477).